Lebkuchen

German immigrants brought the recipe for this traditional Christmas cookie to Missouri in the 1800s. Lebkuchen cookies sit in sealed containers to “ripen” for a month before being consumed at Christmas. They were prepared around nut harvesting time in November and eaten at Christmas. They are kind of like a granola bar or a fruitcake without fruit.

Directions

Add baking soda to buttermilk in a mixing bowl, and then add the molasses mixture and the rest of the ingredients. Mix together until a wet dough forms.

Place dough on a sheet of waxed paper. Use your hands to shape the dough into a log-shaped roll. When the dough becomes too sticky to shape with your hands, wrap it in wax paper and continue shaping. Tip: You can cut the dough into 2 rolls if it’s hard to shape.

Chill overnight with the wax paper around the dough.

Slice and bake at 350°F for 12 to 15 minutes.

To “ripen,” store the baked cookies in an airtight container (like a stone jar or plastic container) at room temperature for a month, or freeze and eat them next year.

For serving, combine powdered sugar with water until you have a drizzling consistency. Then drizzle over "ripened" cookies (optional)